


if we run far enough would they catch us

by orphan_account



Category: ZE:A
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-03
Updated: 2015-01-03
Packaged: 2018-03-05 03:53:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,257
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3104579
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which ZE:A decides they've had enough.</p>
            </blockquote>





	if we run far enough would they catch us

It had been taking a toll on all of them. 

 

 

When they'd first gotten together as nine, as a group, they'd told themselves that, for better or for worse, they'd stick together. At that point of time, they'd thought that, with how much shit that they'd been put through pre-debut, nothing could be worse than driving around the country on one bowl of instant  _ramyun_  a day, puking in alleyways and having to basically stab each other in the back in order to stay in the group.

 

They'd never really thought that such a day would come, the day that they would all decide to run as far as was possible. It had been something that they had spoken a lot about, all 9 of them in the  _dongsaeng_  dorm, away from their manager who lived upstairs, solemn and looking at the ground, but they were all of one heart.

 

It had been difficult, of course, the choice. For them, who loved their fans so much, they hadn't wanted to let them go, hadn't wanted to disappoint them. When they'd made a post on the fancafe in the middle of the night, the response that they had received was so overwhelming, so supportive that they'd all been brought to tears, either sobbing into each other or continuing to read the comments with tears silently running down.

 

_"Anything you decide to do, we'll support you."_

_"Please take care of yourselves; We'll always be here."_

_"It's time you took some rest. Be safe."_

All the messages went along that line, telling them to put themselves first, that the fans would be okay without them for a little while if it meant that they would be able to rest. The post had been deleted roughly 30 minutes later, and no websites had managed to catch wind of it, the fans that  _had_  managed to read the message keeping themselves quiet. 

 

They all packed their clothes in the span of one night, after they'd come home from their schedules and their manager was dead asleep. For the ones who were busier, the others helped them, and they called a courier service and had them all shipped off to their families with a note, telling them not to worry and that they would be back as soon as everything had settled down.

 

Minwoo had made the calls to Japan, finding them a place to sleep after calling his 3Peace Lovers members, who had agreed to let them stay, then hung up to make more calls to his other colleagues to see if they had any space that could be used, despite it being 3am in the morning. The younger had thanked them profusely, still crying at the generosity, and they'd all looked at each other, then the apartment.

 

This place had been their home for some time, a place they could come back to after a tiring day of schedules to collapse onto the couch, their beds, or each other. It held memories that none of them could forget, and even the previous apartments, the small dingy one that 10 people had had to share.

 

But they'd had enough.

 

Enough of their agency treating them like machines, like robots. Enough of becoming mere money making machines for the company. They hadn't minded at first, believing that they had to branch out in order to become more well known as a group, but then it had backfired. Member by member had become more popular each year, the 4 most popular doing well for themselves and the other 5 almost unknown to the greater part of South Korea. No matter how well they did individually, that popularity was never brought back to ZE:A as a group.

 

This wasn't what they had wanted when they first debuted. Back when they were still trainees, still rookies having just debuted, they'd aimed for the top - too high, they now felt - and disappointed themselves. Still, even being unable to reach a hit song, what they wanted more than anything else was to be able to stay together as nine people, as a group that would help each other out when something went wrong, that promoting themselves as nine would be the priority and individual schedules would be secondary to it.

 

Star Empire hadn't done that for them.

 

The agency had pushed them to fight  _amongst_  themselves, that they were asked time and time again, "Which member do you think will be the next one to become popular?". It was a question that they were sick of, because they were ZE:A, why did they have to fight amongst each other to become popular as a person, why was it that there were feelings of bitterness and being upset that they were not the next to shine, that they were not being recognized as Children of Empire, the idol group, but Children of Empire, the group that that actor Im Siwan is from?

 

The questions of Hwang Kwanghee is a singer? That Im Siwan is an idol? Park Hyungsik isn't an actor? Kim Dongjun isn't just an athlete? The questions came again and again and they didn't want to hear them anymore. The 4 in question, especially, because they did know how upsetting it was to the other 5 that they were shining that brightly but unable to do anything about it, because their agency wasn't doing anything to promote them as nine people, but rather continued to push them to take on individual schedules, work them to the point of exhaustion, but still wouldn't help the other 5.

 

It was infuriating. 

 

"We're really going, then?" Hyungsik asked, voice small.

 

Kevin turned to him, then sighed once, moving to ruffle his hair. Even now, with all his fame, Hyungsik was still as innocent and pure as he had once been, just more mature. It made most of the others sad that someone like him had to be put through so much crap, to the point that his eyes had started to lose most of their light.

 

It angered most of them, to be honest.

 

"Yes," Kevin replied. "We're in this together. Remember?"

 

The younger looked up at all the other members in general. "Forever as nine?"

 

Junyoung smiled down at Hyungsik, who was sitting on the couch. "Forever as nine, Hyungsikkie."

 

They quickly took their necessities, one small luggage each, and left the house. They left a note, explaining that they were leaving since their contracts were on the verge of expiring anyway, and that it would be futile to look for them, as even their families had no idea where they were going. The plane tickets had been bought with cash by Minwoo's Japanese seniors, to whom they were undoubtedly indebted to, and they were flying over, then taking the train to Tokyo to meet their would be saviours.

 

The bus ride to the airport was empty, as expected at this time of night. They all looked out the window, already nostalgic, the bright lights and loud music of the stage leaving them. Tomorrow, at this time, they would be in the safety of a Japanese senior's house, would be free from whatever other schedules Star Empire had for them. Tomorrow, their fans would worry, the fansites would go nuts.

 

But for now, they were happy. Happy that they had escaped.

 

And in the distance, both in South Korea and all around the world, their fans looked up at the sky and smiled, knowing that where ever they were going, the 9 boys were finally safe now. 


End file.
